Forged Destinies
by avrege
Summary: Following the assassination of King Darius, former soldier Mire travels to Hyrule Castle to investigate, bringing along his adopted son, Link, who isn't aware of Mire's true intentions. Meanwhile, Prince Maniru of the Gerudo finds himself befriending the young Princess Rayna, who holds a secret that the new king and other evil forces seek.
1. Chapter 1

Castle Town was bustling. Link had never been in a town with this many people, let alone this many people congregated in one spot. He couldn't help his jaw from dropping. The whole place was currently being decorated by men in all corners, either stringing up lights or hauling out stands to sell things at.

"Stop staring, Link, it's rude." Link's older companion said.

"Sorry, Mire. I just find the place intriguing." Link replied. He forced himself to tear his eyes away from the citizens on the streets and looked forward to the path they travelled.

"Yes, I suppose it is." The man mused, bringing his hand to his chin. "My, it's been many years since I was last here."

"I've never seen anything like it." Link said. Taking a glance at Mire to make sure that he wasn't looking, Link quickly went back to surveying the scene. He just couldn't help it; the place was so different from home.

The people were dressed quite extravagantly, at least by Link's standards. The women wore brightly colored dresses and large jewelry, most bearing the triangular patter of the triforce. The men's tunics were also brightly colored, though they came in darker tones than the women's. The most colorful article of clothing that Link had ever owned was a blue shirt, but he had grown out of it years ago.

If this is what the people of the town looked like, then he couldn't imagine the clothing of the nobles.

After making their way across the square and onto a mostly empty cobblestone path, Link let out a breath. Castle Town was an intimidating place!

"Mire, how much longer until we reach the castle?" Link asked. The man turned and smiled at him, wise brown eyes twinkling.

"Learning patience would do you well, Link." He said. Link hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, I am just a little weary from travelling all this way." Link said. He fidgeted with the hem of his tunic, (the fabric was very thin from his frequent toying with it) and tried to stop thinking about the distance. But the man laughed.

"I jest!" Link let out a sigh of relief, which caused the man to let out another hearty chuckle. "If you look carefully you should be able to see the castle gate over the next hill."

Link kept a close look out for the gate, and sure enough, after walking a little more, he saw the stone gate in the distance. It was a long way off, but he could make out two figures standing at the entrance, probably two guards. He guessed that they would reach the castle within ten minutes at this point.

Mire and Link walked in silence for the remaining part of their walk, only interrupted when Mire showed his written invitation to the guards at the gate and they were let through to the castle. Link gaped at the enormous structure before them. He had never seen a building this big before in his life. Mire didn't chastise him for staring again.

Once again, the pair were stopped by guards at the front doors, where again Mire showed his invitation and they were let in, though were told to wait a minute for an escort.

Link surveyed the hall ahead of them. The carpet was red with gold trim, and the walls were white stone. He knew that somewhere up ahead there would be a room with paintings detailing the legend of some hero or another. At least that's what Mire had told him.

"I haven't been here in ages, but everything is exactly as I remember." Mire remarked.

"We've only seen the entryway." Link said.

"The roads were all the same too, so I don't believe that the castle has changed much either. Especially given that King Darius was never one for change." At those words Mire's entire disposition changed from his usual cheerful self to one of sadness. Link reached up and laid a hand on Mire's shoulder.

Before Link could say anything two guards approached. One was in the uniform of a recruit, a green tunic and cap. The outfit was a tribute to the legendary heroes. Link often thought that it looked tacky in drawings, but seeing it in person made Link hate it more. The recruit himself wasn't bad looking, but the color of the tunic clashed with his orange hair. He appeared to be a few years older than Link, though he was quite short. Link guessed that he was at least 16, the minimum age for joining the army.

The second guard was wearing what Link assumed was a captain's uniform. He knew that in battle the outfit would be covered in a full suit of armor, but indoors it was simply a breastplate and miscellaneous armored pieces over a dark blue tunic. The captain was a very tall person. For a moment Link thought that it was a man, but upon closer inspection he discovered that the captain was a woman. A very imposing woman. Though her body was mostly covered by her uniform, Link could imagine her of being a muscular figure. Her face was chiseled, but scarred. One ran across her forehead and another went straight down her cheek and neck. She was clearly a veteran of the last war. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a braid, and one gray streak stood out on the side. Link felt a mixture of fear and deep respect for her.

The two guards saluted. "Captain Mire, it is a pleasure to meet with you once again." The woman captain said.

"I am pleased to meet you as well, Captain Mire." The recruit added. The two of them wore stoic expressions, though they also appeared to have enormous respect for Mire. For the first time, Link was finally aware of just how important Mire once was. Link looked at Mire, and saw his face had changed from one of sadness to one of excitement. With a big grin, Mire saluted the two guards. Link followed suit.

"At ease, men." Mire said. All four of them resumed their original stances. Mire's smile did not fade. The recruit remained professional, if not stiff, but the captain returned Mire's smile and held out her hand.

"I couldn't believe it when you said that you would be returning for the coronation!" The captain said as Mire shook her hand. "I assumed that I would never see you again, Captain." Mire chuckled.

"It's just Mire now." The man replied. "I see that you're Captain Ginevra now! You wear the uniform better than I did." Ginevra let out a loud laugh.

"Please, I'll never match up to you." She said. "But I admit that the uniform does suit me."

"Still proud as ever." Mire responded. Link was surprised with Mire's attitude. The man rarely had such easy banter with another person.

"I want to introduce you to my son." Ginevra urged the recruit forward. "This is Mire, named after you, of course." Young Mire flushed, but managed a smile at his namesake. Older Mire blinked in surprise.

"You know I was joking when I said that your firstborn son had to be named after me, right?" Mire asked. Ginevra smirked at him.

"What can I say, it's a good name."

"We were drunk when we made the bet." Mire said. "Not that I'm not flattered, but I never expected this."

Link was lost at this point. Mire rarely talked about his time in the army. It gave him bad memories. On more than one occasion Link had been awakened by a scream let out by Mire as he relived the war in his dreams. Link had never heard of Mire's old friends, but now his curiosity was piqued.

"And who is this young boy?" Ginevra asked Mire, gesturing at Link.

"This is Link. He's my adopted son, but we're more like close friends than anything." Mire answered. "I could never be a father figure."

"Really? I always figured that you would be a good father."

Mire shrugged. "The time just hasn't come for me. Anyway, are you our escort?"

"Yes, we are. I will be leading you to your room and my son will lead Link to his room." Ginevra answered. "You need to rest up, but once you're ready, we're going to go meet the prince and practice for the ceremony."

"What about Link?" Mire asked the captain. She glanced down at Link. Suddenly her eyes widened, like she had just recognized him, but she quickly changed her expression into a poker face.

"He is free for the rest of the day, but he must remain in his room unless he is escorted out. We can't have our guests getting lost in the castle."

"Oh my, I guess I won't find a break this evening." Mire said. "Behave yourself, Link." He added with a wink. Link nodded at his guardian.

"Let's head out then, Gin."

"Careful with the nicknames, in the presence of others you will be expected to address me as Captain Ginevra. Or just Captain."

"How about we compromise with Captain Gin?"

The captain rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else. She gestured at Mire to follow her, and with a goodbye wave, he left.

Link swallowed. The castle was huge, and he had never been in a building this big, and he was super dirty and possibly smelly and why was he here again he didn't belong and what if he ran into a noble and they saw him like this what if he ran into the prince and what if-

"Um." Link's thoughts were cut off by the recruit, who was still a little pink in the face. The boy swallowed and cleared his throat. "Th-this way, sir." He stuttered. He sounded just as nervous as Link!

"Yes, right." Link said. The two set out along the hallway in awkward silence. The boy's name was Mire? How would he be able to tell him apart from _his_ Mire? The two turned to the left at a corner and came upon a staircase. Why was the boy so scared of him?

As they came to the top, the boy stumbled. "Woah!" He squeaked as he fell backward. Link caught him, barely managing to stay upright.

"Oh Goddesses! I'm so sorry I'm so clumsy I should have watched my step oh goddesses did I hurt you?" The young Mire said the words in a rush and Link barely understood what he was saying. Wow, this boy really reminded him of himself.

"Um, it's okay." Link said stiffly. After helping Mire right himself, they went walking again. The two boys were both now red as tomatoes. They finally stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Here's your room, sir." Mire gestured at a large door.

"Please, stop calling me sir." Link said. It felt so unnatural. He was just a normal country boy who had a few anxiety issues and who had never stepped foot in a town that had a paved road.

"Right, I guess it's kind of weird." Mire scratched the back of his neck. "I guess I'll be leaving."

"Wait!" Link said quickly. He didn't want to be alone in a weird castle, even if it meant being with a boy he had barely met. Mire's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. "Uh, if I want to leave my room then you'll just be right here and you can take me places. I mean, unless you're busy I guess."

"No, I don't have to anything for the rest of the day, that's why my mom brought me along to escort you." Mire looked down. Link steeled his nerves and took a deep breath.

"Let's go to my room. Maybe we can introduce ourselves?"

"Right, that's fair." Link nodded, and turned to open his door. The two boys entered the room, and Link suddenly forgot how to speak.

"It's pretty big." Mire said, which summarized Link's thoughts perfectly. He nodded numbly, closing the door behind them.

The room itself was about as big as two of his houses sitting next to each other. Like the hallways it had white stone walls and a red carpet. Windows let sunlight stream in and show off the queen size bed, which had blue blankets embroidered with the triforce. A wardrobe and vanity sat in one of the corners, and a couch sat in the other. The room probably cost more rupees than the worth of his home village in total.

"It's a little overwhelming, isn't it?" Mire asked Link.

Link finally found his voice. "Yeah. I've never seen anything like it." After another second of taking it all in, Link finally found the strength to take his knapsack off his shoulders and set it at the end of his bed. He pulled out all the contents, which was a change of clothes and some food. They'd packed lightly for the trip, and Mire ( _his_ Mire) had promised that clothing would be provided for the coronation.

Speaking of, "Mire, my, uh, father told me that there would be clothes provided for the coronation since we're honored guests." Link felt uncomfortable calling Mire his father, but he didn't see another choice if he didn't want to mix up the two Mire's.

"Yeah, there's a tailor who's going to get you two suited up. I mean, the clothes won't be specifically made for you but he will make adjustments." Mire said. "Um, not that we wouldn't get clothes made especially for you it's just that you don't live here I guess. Or something." Link was silent for a moment, but suddenly let out a giggle.

"Did I say something wrong? Oh yes I did I'm sorry for offending you with that comment about the tailor it was super insensitive of me and-"

"Stop!" Link laughed. He grinned at Mire. "You're fine. I'm not a prince or a noble. Technically I guess you outrank me, seeing as how I have no direct connection to the royal family. At least you're a recruit for the army!" Mire took a step back, as if no one had said anything like that to him before.

"I'm sorry- "

"No more 'sorry', okay? I want to be equals." Link said. He held out a hand to Mire to shake. He hesitated, but eventually reached out to clasp Link's hand.

"We haven't introduced ourselves to each other." Link said. Where was this confidence coming from? Link had never felt so brave in his entire life. Something about this boy made him feel comfortable though, maybe even a little more comfortable than with his father.

"Oh, I guess not." The boys separated hands. Link nodded towards the couch in an inviting way, and Mire shrugged. They walked towards and sat on opposite ends, facing each other.

Link sank into the soft cushions. He was a little lazy, to be honest, and he could never resist taking a nap or lounging on a soft space. Mire sat with perfect posture, possibly due to his training.

"I'm Link." Link introduced himself. "I was born in the Faron province but I was raised in Kakariko Village by Mire. And I'm 15. Hmm. I like to take naps but Mire has been teaching me casual sword fighting and self-defense stuff, which is pretty fun. I have a horse named Epona and I like to pet her because she's nice and soft. Yeah that's about it. How about you?"

"I'm Mire."

"Wait, do you have a nickname? I want to tell you apart from my father is all." Link interrupted.

"Right. When I was little some friends used to call me Meer, if that's okay." Link beamed.

"I like it!"

"Oh, thank you." Meer said with a little smile. "let's see…

"I was born in Castle Town and I was raised there. My mom has always been busy as a captain so I was cared for by my dad. On my 16th birthday I joined the army, which really made my mom happy and I've been here for about five months now."

"Do you have any hobbies?" Link asked.

"I like sword fighting. Otherwise I haven't really had time for hobbies. This is the first night off I've had in weeks." Meer admitted. Now that he mentioned it, Link did notice that the boy had prominent dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey, we both like swords." Link said with a smile. "Say, do you think that we could have a little duel? I'm a little rusty, I haven't worked on my swordsmanship skills in a while."

Meer's eyes lit up. "I'd be happy to! I could get us some practice swords and we could go out to the courtyard, there's a great open space there." Meer stood up. "I'm ready to go any time you are." Link raised his eyebrows, but stood up next to Meer.

"Now's as good a time as ever." He grinned, which was returned to him brightly.

"Follow me!" Meer said, and the two walked out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Maniru was used to stares. Back home he was accepted and no one would blink twice at him, but due to his status as prince he often had to travel to different lands. After his first visit away from home when he was 12 he had stayed up all night and torn out his hair, bunches at a time. By the time his mother found him he bald and sobbing.

 _Why was I born like this?_ He had wailed. He wanted more than anything to have been born to anyone else. He didn't want to be looked at like he was a filthy object. A cursed man. After a few years though, he had learned to bury the pain away. So what if people didn't like him? They didn't matter. His people at home approved of him and that was all that he cared about.

And yet, walking through the halls of Hyrule Castle brought back all the painful memories from his youth. The servants would look away as he passed but not before he'd catch a look of fear on their face. He dreaded meeting the prince and princess. The late King Darius had been wary of him, but otherwise had learned to put aside his prejudices to speak about politics with him. But the royal children might not be as willing to accept him.

He had seen the prince and princess at the king's funeral a month ago, but they hadn't talked. Maniru was there to pay his respects, not to make friends. But now he regretted not at least holding a conversation with the prince. After all, it was his coronation tomorrow, and the two royals would have to talk at some point. At least being acquainted with the future king would be nice.

And so Maniru found himself walking the halls aimlessly, hoping to run into either one of the Hylian siblings. But of course, he wasn't that lucky. With a sigh, he decided to go to the archery range. Shooting arrows had always been his favorite thing to do, and it usually relaxed him.

He went back to his room to change into clothing more suited for exercising and grabbed his bow and quiver. Already he felt better. This was what felt natural to him.

Maniru knew his way around the castle well and easily found the archery range in the back, which was situated right next to a spot where soldiers would practice sword fighting. The area was empty save for two boys who were engaged in sword combat. Maniru elected to ignore them and prepared his bow.

Drawing his first arrow, he took a deep breath. Calmness settled over his body. Ready, aim, fire.

The arrow whistled through the air, and before it hit the target Maniru had already drawn another and shot it at the next. He proceeded to shoot at all the targets in front of him in quick succession. After letting his eighth arrow go to the last target, he settled his arms and let out his breath. He looked to the targets in front of him. As usual, most of his arrows had hit close to the center, but none made it.

"Wow." Someone said behind him. Instinctually, Maniru whirled around with an arrow already notched to shoot at the stranger. He gasped when he saw who it was, which was followed by a small squeal by the other person.

"Oh, I'm sorry, your highness!" He bowed, and felt a cold sweat form on his forehead.

"No, no, it's okay. I must have scared you."

Maniru gathered the courage to stand straight again. Right before him, stood the princess herself. Despite what she had said, she still looked startled and a little fearful, though she was probably trying to hide it. Maniru sighed.

"I apologize again. I'm aware of what you may think of me, especially after this moment when I almost tried to shoot you, and I accept that. I will take full responsibility for the sins of my predecessor." Maniru had that speech queued up in his head. Reception to it from others mixed from grudging respect to utter disgust. Occupational hazard.

"No, I swear it's not that." The princess shook her head, eyes wide. Maniru almost wanted to laugh. She was so innocent, he envied her for thinking that she could fool him.

"It's okay if you're afraid of me because I'm a Gerudo." Maniru replied. He made eye contact with the princess. Rule number one of diplomacy, of course. Her wide green eyes showed her fear, but if Maniru wasn't mistaken, she also seemed to be a little interested in him. Like he was a specimen for her to observe. He didn't know which was worse.

"I'm not afraid of you!" She said, fists clenched. Maniru held back a sigh. The princess was only 8. He wouldn't blame her if she feared him.

Maniru bent down on one knee to look at her. Princess Rayna was quite adorable, if Maniru was to be honest. Her dirty blonde hair was long, and pulled back in a half ponytail. She had not quite grown out of her baby fat, which left her face round and kind of squishy. With sadness Maniru noted that she was wearing a plain black dress, a symbol that she was not done mourning her father.

"It's okay to be wary of me, Princess. I know that it must be hard to accept me for what I am, and that's fine. I can't change your true feelings." He told her. He felt awkward, speaking to a child like this. She was probably too young and stubborn to admit her true feelings.

Finally, Rayna relaxed her fists and took a deep breath. "You're Prince Maniru, right?" Maniru nodded.

"Was King Ganondorf your father?" She continued.

"No, in his lifetime Ganondorf never had children, not to mention that he wasn't even alive by the time I was born." Maniru replied. Rayna frowned at that.

"Then how can you be the prince if you're not the son of the king?"

"Gerudo society is a little different than Hyrulean society." He explained. "Tell me, Princess, what makes you and your brother the royal family?"

"We are direct descendants of the goddess Hylia, and thus we are blessed with the power to rule the land." She said with practiced ease. Maniru nodded at her. She smiled, like she was proud to know about her heritage.

"Well, my people work a little differently. Did you know that the Gerudo never have sons? They're all women."

"I knew that. But then where are you from?" She frowned.

"Every 100 years, a boy will be born. According to the teachings of our goddess, that boy is to become the king, no matter what mother he came from." Maniru said.

"Times have changed, however. Following the corrupt reign of Ganondorf, we've instated chiefs instead of kings. The title of chief goes to whoever is worthy to lead the people. Truthfully, I have little to no power when it comes to political affairs. I'm more like a figurehead now."

"Is there a chance that you'll ever be a chief?" Rayna asked. She was sounding more interested. Maniru let himself smile at her. She was a very interesting child.

"Possibly, but I can't be sure."

"Oh, okay." She turned to leave.

 _Was that all she wanted to know?_ Maniru thought to himself. Before he could get up and move to retrieve his arrows from the targets, Rayna interrupted him again.

"Can you teach me how to use a bow?" She bit her lip, like she expected rejection. Maniru raised his eyebrows at her. This child was definitely something else.

"Yes, I could. But would it be okay with your fa-" He stopped himself. She didn't have a father. "I mean your brother?"

Rayna scoffed. "Like he cares about anything. He's so focused on his dumb coronation that he's forgotten all about me."

"To be fair, becoming king is a big task." Maniru countered, but Rayna scowled at him. The expression looked out of place on her childish face.

"But everything is about him now!" She cried, throwing her hands up. "I want my big brother back!"

Maniru froze. It struck him that the princess was truly alone. Back in the desert he had all the Gerudo whom he considered to be his family. But Rayna? She had none of that. For the first time, Maniru felt genuine sorrow for a Hylian. Sure, he felt lonely when he was away from home, but at least back there he fit in. Princess Rayna had no one anywhere.

After a moment of silence, Maniru finally found his voice.

"I will teach you how to use a bow." The air cleared as he said that, and Rayna's face broke into the biggest grin he had ever seen on a person.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really." He said. He offered a hand to her and lead her away to the target range.


	3. Chapter 3

Link discovered that not only was his swordsmanship rusty, but he had also been fighting with the wrong technique his entire life.

"No, no, your stance is too weak!" Meer chided Link as he, once again, sent Link tumbling down. "You need to lower your center of gravity so that you keep good balance." Link groaned as he sat up, holding his head.

"This was easier with practice dummies." Link said.

"You know," Meer said, holding a hand out to Link. Link took it and Meer helped him stand up. "Back in the day, Captain Mire was considered the best swordfighter in the army, possibly even in all of Hyrule."

"So I've heard." Link said.

"He taught a lot of recruits how to swordfight, including my mother." Meer added. "Under his command the army was legendary. The war was hard, and it was far from an easy victory, but a lot more lives might have been lost if not for Mire's special techniques."

"That is also what I've heard."

"Now tell me, did Mire really teach you how to use a sword?"

Link gaped. A few mumbles that might have sounded like words came out of his mouth, which was answer enough for Meer.

"Let me guess. You wanted to learn how to fight, but Mire wouldn't teach you, so you tried to teach yourself." Meer raised an eyebrow at Link, who in turn hung his head in shame. Meer had hit the nail on the head.

"Whenever I tried to get anyone else to teach me, they would tell Mire about it and then he would convince them that teaching sword fighting to a kid was a bad idea." Link lifted his head. His eyebrows knitted together in frustration. "I'm 15! I should be allowed to hold a sword!"

"My best guess is that Mire doesn't want you to get involved in any kind of fighting." Meer said. "That's what my mom was like until I was 10."

"At least she _let_ you do anything." Link moaned, collapsing back down. Meer stifled a giggle at Link's dramatic behavior. "I've had to settle with stealing a sword that was too big for me at nighttime and running around the barn slashing at hay."

"Wow, what a rebel."

"Don't mock me."

"Sorry."

"I've always had a feeling that I was meant for something greater." Link said. "When I was little, me and some friends would play Hero. Battling imaginary enemies and asking anyone if they needed help." Meer laughed.

"Yeah, me and my friends used to play Hero as well."

"It's a common game, I guess." Link shrugged. "But eventually everyone grew out of it. Except me. I kept wanting to be a hero. I didn't play around anymore because I didn't want to look like a baby to everyone else, but I still dreamed of running off with my horse and rescuing a princess and whatever else heroes do."

"We've got a princess here in the castle. Maybe I could kidnap her and you would rescue her, beating me up." Meer laughed, to Link's annoyance.

"Both of us would probably get executed for that." Link frowned. "Princess Zelda is only a kid, right?" He asked. Meer couldn't hold back a gasp, which made Link look at him.

"What? Was I way off the mark?" He asked.

"No, it's not that. You… you don't know about Princess Zelda?" Meer responded quietly. He looked over to their left, to see a man and a little girl at the target range. Their laughter echoed, and Meer recognized the two voices.

"What about Zelda?"

Meer pointed to the girl. "She's the princess."

"Princess Zelda? What's she doing just hanging out with that guy?" Link asked.

"I don't know who he is, but the princess always has her nursemaid hiding somewhere, so I can assure you that she's safe." Meer answered.

"So, Zelda is a little kid?"

Meer sighed exasperatedly. Link was incredibly dense! "That girl is Princess Rayna."

Link paused. Then frowned. Suddenly his eyebrows shot up. " _Rayna?_ Isn't it law that all princesses be named Zelda?"

"Yes, that is true, but it only applies to the firstborn princess. If there was more than one Princess Zelda running around it would get confusing."

"So, what you're saying is that Rayna is not the only princess?"

"Yes. We did have both a Princess Zelda and a Queen Zelda."

"Queen Zelda was Darius's wife, before she passed." Link said. "I think she died when she gave birth to a princess, I assumed that was Zelda."

"Yes, eight years ago, Queen Zelda gave birth to Princess Rayna. She died not too long afterwards, from too much blood loss." Meer explained. "We had a Princess Zelda. She would be about our age, now."

"Past tense?" Link stood up to get a better view of the young princess, who was getting ready to fire an arrow with the help of the man behind her.

"Wait, are you telling me that Princess Zelda is… not alive?"

Meer nodded.

"Princess Zelda was the first daughter of Darius and Zelda. She was stillborn."

"Oh goddesses…" Link whispered. Rayna had shot her arrow, missing her target, though she and her instructor were laughing. "She's like me."

"Excuse me?" Meer asked Link.

"Rayna. She's like me." Link's head was feeling fuzzy, his vision blurring. Meer was shaking his shoulder, but he couldn't tell if he was talking. The last thing he heard before collapsing was a woman calling his name.

XxX

"Help! Someone, help!" Maniru dropped his hold on Rayna's hand and looked to the area on the right where he had seen the two boys sparring earlier. One of them was holding the other in his arms, yelling. Was there an accident?

"Rayna, stay here." Maniru made to walk away, but Rayna grabbed his hand.

"Don't leave me." She said quietly. Maniru locked eyes with her. Hers were looking watery. Maniru bit his tongue. What was he supposed to do?

"I'll take her. You go to the boys." A voice said behind. Having learned from Rayna earlier not to react violently to disembodied voices earlier, Maniru glanced back to see a tall, slender woman. He immediately recognized her as a Sheikah, judging by the tattoo on her face and the symbol on the front of her blue shirt.

The woman was tall, almost as tall as Maniru. Her white hair was pulled back tightly, and her red eyes were slanted and dangerous. Maniru knew that he did not want to make her angry.

"Impa! I told you not to follow me!" Rayna said angrily. Maniru decided that he should leave the two alone.

As he ran towards the boys, he felt something build up in his chest, like some kind of pressure. He ignored the feeling.

He finally reached the boys and knelt beside them. The one who had called for help was holding the other boy in his arms. He recognized the first one as a recruit, who he thought that he'd run across once or twice.

When he looked at the fainted boy, the pressure in his chest subsided. The kid looked familiar. His skin was pale enough that Maniru could make out the veins in his hands, though the lack of color was probably because of his fainting. His hair was a little messy and blond. His eyebrows were darker than his hair color and bushy. Like any Hylian, the boy had long pointed ears which were pierced with blue earrings.

"What happened?" Maniru asked.

"He just fainted." The recruit said.

"Was there any reason why?" Maniru prodded.

"No." The recruit answered quickly. Way too quickly. Though Maniru wanted to press harder, he had a feeling that he wouldn't get anything else out of him, so he went to focus back on the blond boy.

Maniru reached out a hand to feel the boy's forehead. It was clammy, but luckily not feverish. He let out a sigh of relief.

"I think we just need to put him in a bed and let him rest." Maniru said, just as a woman and a man appeared. He recognized the woman as Captain Ginevra. The man was middle aged, with salt-and-pepper hair grown out in a braid, and looked to be quite in shape for his age.

"Link!" The man said, rushing to Maniru's side. Maniru guessed that the fainted boy was Link. That name was also kind of familiar. The man looked to Maniru and the recruit.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He just fainted while we were talking!" The recruit wailed. Maniru hadn't noticed that the boy had been crying.

"He's not injured, that I can see." Maniru added. The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So, he only fainted?"

"Yes." Maniru reassured the man, who Maniru guessed was either Link's father or guardian. "We should get him to a bed."

"Mire," The man turned to the recruit. "Can you lead us to Link's room?"

The recruit, whose name was apparently Mire, nodded. "Yes. Yes, right." He stuttered. He made to stand up, but immediately fell back down. Maniru caught him before he hit the ground.

"Steady, there." Maniru said. "Need help?"

Mire focused on Maniru's face. If his skin was pale before, it somehow lost even more color. He probably hadn't had a good look at Maniru earlier, but now that the two were up close, he certainly couldn't mistake what Maniru was. Here we go again, he thought. Sometimes being a Gerudo was inconvenient. The two held eye contact for what seemed like a lifetime, before Captain Ginevra cleared her throat.

"Mire, we need to go back to see the prince. Can you boys take Link to his room?" She asked. Maniru looked at the man. Was his name also Mire?

"No, I need to stay with my son." The man almost growled.

"Mire, we have a duty."

"My first and foremost duty is to be a father." The man stood up and faced Ginevra. Maniru and Mire both stiffened, like they sensed a storm brewing.

"Didn't you say earlier that fatherhood is not for you?" Ginevra retorted.

"I don't give a damn about what I said earlier, right now I am making up my mind to stay with Link." The man said, his voice rising in volume. "My work for the royal family ended. It's been over for fifteen years now!"

"The minute you stepped back inside this castle you swore your life back to the kingdom! Now stop acting like a child and leave with me."

Maniru clenched his teeth. "Stop it! Both of you!" He shouted. The two adults turned to face him, like they hadn't expected him to start talking. "This fight is pointless. The man should stay with his son, and make sure that he recovers."

"Wait, what?" the recruit gasped. Maniru realized that he was still holding onto the boy, and released him a bit awkwardly.

"No, Prince," said the man. "You're right, this is a petty squabble. But I should return to the prince." It didn't register to Maniru right away that the man had addressed him by his title.

"Come along, then, Mire." Captain Ginevra turned around, and the man walked to follow.

"I should not have caught the two of you up in this. Please, take care of Link." The man said. He hesitated for a second, but eventually did leave to follow the captain. Mire, Link, and Maniru were left alone.

A few seconds of silence passed, where Mire and Maniru had been avoiding eye contact. Finally, Maniru spoke up.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

"Yes, I think." Mire responded. "Are you strong enough to carry Link?"

"Probably."

"That's good. I'll lead the way back to his room then."

Without another word, Maniru leaned down to pick up Link in piggyback style. Maniru was smaller than most Gerudo since he was still young, but even a young Gerudo could easily carry an adult man, so Link was not hard on him.

After walking back into the castle and navigating some halls, they made it back to Link's room. Once inside, Maniru made to set Link on the bed. Mire collapsed on a couch and groaned. Maniru debated talking to him or not, since he wasn't sure if Mire wanted to associate with him, but that was solved by Mire initiating a conversation.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Maniru looked back to Mire. "Do you want me to leave?"

Mire seemed to be taken aback by Maniru's forward question, and he wasn't sure how to answer.

"Well… I guess you're not needed anymore." Mire said, biting his lip. "If you have other duties to attend to, I wouldn't want to stop you."

Part of Maniru wanted to say that he had nothing to attend to, but he suspected that Mire was uncomfortable with him around. Not to mention that when Link woke up it would be an unpleasant surprise to find the Gerudo Prince at his side.

He knew that making more than one friend in Hyrule was unlikely. Rayna was different because she was young, and though her upbringing lead her to have prejudices, at least her mind was more willing to change. It just wasn't worth his time to spend any longer with Mire and Link.

"If you need me, I'll be in my bedroom." Maniru nodded in farewell to Mire and walked out the door.


End file.
